FS417
RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
NEW JERSEY AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
Recycling Used Motor Oil In New Jersey
Theodore B. Shelton, PhD.
Extension Specialist in Water Resources Management
and
Michael T. Olohan
Public Information Coordinator
Navesink River Watershed Project
The Problem: A Wasted Resource
According to the United States Department of Energy, nearly two-thirds of all used motor oil generated in the United States comes from "do-it-yourselfers" who change their own oil. If improperly disposed of, these 350 million gallons of oil can do substantial, immediate, and long-term harm to humans and animals, streams, lakes, estuaries, vegetation, and the quality of our air and drinking water.
In New Jersey, the Association of Petroleum ReRefineries estimates that 19.5 million gallons of used oil are generated yearly. Of that, nine million gallons are generated by do-it-yourselfers. A study by the Service Stations of America found that do-it-yourselfers recycle only 14% of the waste oil they generate. Moreover, 62% of all petroleum-related pollution is estimated to be from used oil products.
However, recycling of this valuable resource via rerefining into once-again reusable motor oil offers a significant means of reducing pollution, may eventually lower demand for foreign reserves, conserves finite natural resources, and protects the environment.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of rerefiring capacity nationwide, nearly 80% of all used oil collected is reprocessed and burned as a fuel oil substitute and not rerefined. Nonetheless, the reuse of used motor oil is a vital component of any comprehensive recycling program.
State law requires that all used motor oil be recycled. Used motor oil is the largest single source of oil pollution in our harbors and our waterways.
What Makes Used Motor Oi